Putting the Hurt on Big Finish

John Hurt is reprising his role as The War Doctor in a series of 12 new Doctor Who audio plays.

First introduced for Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary special, The Day of the Doctor, the War Doctor appeared alongside David Tennant and Matt Smith’s Doctors – a secret incarnation of the Time Lord who abandoned his name in order to fight The Time War against the Daleks.

The 12 audio episodes will be released in four instalments, the first box set coming this December and titled Only The Monstrous. It is written and directed by Nicholas Briggs who said: “The story of the Doctor who refuses to call himself the Doctor in order to do the unthinkable upon the ultimate battlefield — all of space and time — was irresistible to me.

“Such a deeply disturbing and engaging character created by the formidable talents of writer Steven Moffat and actor John Hurt. It’s such a privilege to be working on this.”

The cast of The War Doctor will include Jacqueline Pearce (Blake 7, Doctor Who: Death Comes to Time) who will play Time Lord Cardinal Ollistra – an “arch manipulator who is waging the Time War against the Daleks”.

The War Doctor has not been seen in the television series since the 50th anniversary. However, Engines of War – a novel also set in the Time War written by George Mann– was released in 2014.

Big Finish seem to be doing their damndest to make fans’ wishes come true over the next two years. 2017 will see a prequel to Only the Monstrous starring the War Doctor’s predecessor, played by Paul McGann, during the early skirmishes of the conflict. He and River Song will also appear together for the first time early next year…and even Strax is getting his own turn in the audio spotlight this November.